Isaiah 43 - A Tale of Two Jacobs

Isaiah 43 - A Tale of Two Jacobs

This chapter is a good place to remind ourselves that Isaiah is communicating a vision given to him by God (see the first verse in this book). Visions from God are not normal prophecy, filled with images related in word more than with plain speech. In this chapter, we read of Jacob in the first section and the last section, with the promise of restoration of Israel in the middle. I believe these two Jacobs are different, as the context in each segment reveals.

The KJV labels the first segment "The Lord Comforts the Church with His Promises." I think they nailed it.

Isaiah 43:1-2 (HCSB) Now this is what the LORD says— the One who created you, Jacob, and the One who formed you, Israel— “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and ⌊when you pass⌋ through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.

God calls Jacob and Israel by name, indicating familiarity. This could refer to either Jacob and Israel of the flesh, or the children of promise represented by these names. The second verse would also be either, using figurative language of protection for children of the flesh or literal protection for children of promise. We who are children of the promise will be protected from the fire that will burn everything that is not in union with Christ.

Isaiah 43:3-7 (HCSB) For I Yahweh your God, the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior, give Egypt as a ransom for you, Cush and Seba in your place. Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and I love you, I will give people in exchange for you and nations instead of your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north: Give ⌊them⌋ up! and to the south: Do not hold ⌊them⌋ back! Bring My sons from far away, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone called by My name and created for My glory. I have formed him; indeed, I have made him.”

YHWH is the only God, the Holy One of Israel - physical and spiritual - and the Savior of His people; providing temporal salvation from certain trails for fleshly people and eternal life for His spiritual people. YHWH gives Egypt, Cush, and Seba as ransoms for His people - this transaction is not recorded for the temporal nation of Israel, but all the nations of the earth will be judged as true Israel has been ransomed and redeemed from that wrath. He tells us "do not fear for I am with you" just as in Matt 5:36 Jesus told His followers "Do not fear, only believe." YHWH will bring His people from the four corners of the world; the restoration of national Israel after the Babylonian exile was not this expansive, but the gathering of the lost sheep is! All these sons and daughters have been called by His name - something we read about in Acts 15:14-18 (HCSB) Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for His name. And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again, so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, declares the Lord who does these things, known from long ago.

Here Peter reveals that the rebuilding of David's tent (referring to Jerusalem) is taking place as people from every nation, tribe, and tongue - all four corners of the planet - are called by His name and brought into the His glorious kingdom of light.

This is why I agree with the KJV section title - Spiritual Jacob is in sight in this section. The next two verses support this view.

Isaiah 43:8-9 (HCSB) Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes, and are deaf, yet have ears. All the nations are gathered together, and the peoples are assembled. Who among them can declare this, and tell us the former things? Let them present their witnesses to vindicate ⌊themselves⌋, so that people may hear and say, “It is true.”

Blind that see, deaf that hear - these are those Jesus brings into the sheepfold of God. We can declare the salvation of the Lord and the wickedness of who we used to be; we will be witnesses to the manifold mercy of God in Christ and other saints will hear and say, "It is true!" Again - the blind seeing is a mark of the Messiah having come into the world, as Jesus testified to the disciples of John the Baptist.

Isaiah 43:10-13 (HCSB) “You are My witnesses”— ⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration— “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. No god was formed before Me, and there will be none after Me. I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Savior but Me. I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed— and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses”— ⌊this is⌋ the LORD’s declaration— “and I am God. Also, from today on I am He ⌊alone⌋, and none can deliver from My hand. I act, and who can reverse it?”

The redeemed are His witnesses, we are called to be so unto the ends of the earth, until the last sheep is brought home. He has chosen us so we would know Him and believe on Him. Then God tells us things about Him that unbelievers cannot understand: " I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Savior but Me. I alone declared, saved, and proclaimed— and not some foreign god among you. So you are My witnesses." Verse 10 begins by declaring we are His witnesses and He wraps it up, after declaring Who He is, declaring we are His witnesses. To those who think the God of the Bible is like their gods, He will have none of it! There is none like Him! To those think Christianity is a "private religion" - Christ would have you know that He is God and ALL of His ransomed people ARE His witnesses!

The last verse in this segment is not well interpreted in the HCSB. Quite frankly, I could not make sense of the first part of it at all. I think the KJV is the most clear: "Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?" It's not that God STARTED being God "today" - before day was created, God is.  Fear not, only believe, for none can deliver anything or anyone from His hand and when He acts, no one can reverse it (I don't get the KJV - "who shall let it?" Here's what one KJV advocate says about it: This is one of the classic “archaisms” of the King James Version, where the English word “let” does not mean “allow” (as we now use the word) but almost the exact opposite. This particular English word was originally written and pronounced “lat” and was from the same Teutonic root as the word “late.” Thus, to our Old English ancestors, it meant essentially “make late,” or “hinder.”).

The middle section describes how YHWH will deliver rebellious Israel. Isaiah 43:14-15 (HCSB) This is what the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: Because of you, I will send to Babylon and bring all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans in the ships in which they rejoice. I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

Isaiah tells Israel how things will move forward. This deliverance contains some temporal aspects - as the judgment on Babylon and Chaldea, even though Babylon is frequently used to portray the system of world. YHWH describes Himself as the Creator and King of Israel, leading me to think He is addressing national Israel in these verses. He created that nation as a people unto Himself and set Himself up as their King - until they clamored for a human king like the pagan nations around them.

Isaiah 43:16-21 (HCSB) This is what the LORD says— who makes a way in the sea, and a path through surging waters, who brings out the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty one together (they lie down, they do not rise again; they are extinguished, quenched like a wick)—“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. The animals of the field will honor Me, jackals and ostriches, because I provide water in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people. The people I formed for Myself will declare My praise.

And here we see YHWH changing the scope of His deliverance, making a way in the sea that will destroy all how oppose Him, reminding all of the destruction of the Egyptian army. He tells Israel not to remember the past events, the old way for He is about to do something new. And here we have it - the peace with nature He describes is a picture of the new earth; not something that can happen on this earth which is racked with sin. God provides living water for His chosen people these will declare His praise! All who are given life in Christ are made new creations - this is the something new He mentioned. Another clue that this deliverance is spiritual.

In the last segment of this chapter, our attention is drawn to the second Jacob, Israel of the flesh. Isaiah 43:22-24 (HCSB) “But Jacob, you have not called on Me, because, Israel, you have become weary of Me. You have not brought Me your sheep for burnt offerings or honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings or wearied you with incense. You have not bought Me aromatic cane with silver, or satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened Me with your sins; you have wearied Me with your iniquities."

Here we read the same complaints against the nation that prophet after prophet lamented over. Isaiah warned them about the abject failure of rote religion earlier in this book (chapter 29), but the nation was fleshly and this is the way of all flesh. They did not bring as offerings their best, but they brought what they wouldn't miss. None of this religious practice was acceptable to God they were BURDENSOME and WEARISOME to Him. Dear reader - do you ever consider or wonder if your worship is pleasing to God or not? It is a fearful thing to bring to him worship that burdensome and wearisome.

Isaiah 43:25-28 (HCSB) “It is I who sweep away your transgressions for My own sake and remember your sins no more. Take Me to court; let us argue our case together. State your ⌊case⌋, so that you may be vindicated. Your first father sinned, and your mediators have rebelled against Me. So I defiled the officers of the sanctuary, and set Jacob apart for destruction and Israel for abuse.

Here we see that forgiveness of sin is for the glory of God, not primarily for our benefit. We do not comprehend His holiness if we think our redemption is first for ourselves. To sweep away transgressions by pouring out His wrath on His Son is demonstrating the enormity of our sin as rebellion against God. His name and His glory must be maintained and that is a higher priority than our salvation.

We return the court room, where Jacob is told to take God to court! He is state his case so he might be vindicated. His trouble is compound - his first father (likely the first Jacob, later named Israel) sinned (it was his nature) and all the priests that served over the years rebelled against God - who can stand? Jacob's case fails, God put down (defiled) the priests and set the two kingdoms apart for destruction.

No escape from the justice of God's court room. God is able to raise up from rocks sons who will worship Him. Let no one put confidence in the flesh - your parents nor your family history can anything to help you. National Israel did not learn this lesson that the kingdom of God was taken from them and given to a nation bearing fruit. Those who believe in Christ are children of Abraham according to promise. Are you in that nation?